House of Commons Hansard #59 of the 44th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was budget.

Topics

Official LanguagesOral Questions

2:45 p.m.

Papineau Québec

Liberal

Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister

Mr. Speaker, the leader of the Bloc Québécois is obviously concerned about Quebec and about protecting official languages and French within Quebec. That is entirely understandable, since that is the responsibility he has taken upon himself.

As Prime Minister, my responsibility, and that of the Canadian government, is to protect our official languages across the country, not just in Quebec. Only a federal government can do that, and that is exactly what we are doing across the country.

Official LanguagesOral Questions

2:45 p.m.

Bloc

Yves-François Blanchet Bloc Beloeil—Chambly, QC

Mr. Speaker, it is not clear.

He is not doing that. That is the problem. He is not doing it. I want to make it clear that I am not criticizing Ms. Simon or Ms. Murphy. I am criticizing him. He is the one who appointed these women. Honourable though they may be, they do not speak French.

How can he be flabbergasted and indignant about people not speaking French when he himself appoints people who are nowhere near capable of speaking French?

Official LanguagesOral Questions

2:45 p.m.

Papineau Québec

Liberal

Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister

Mr. Speaker, as my hon. colleague knows very well, Ms. Simon was raised in northern Quebec at a time when indigenous people were not taught French. That is a shameful failure in our history, and we are working very hard across the country to change that reality now and in the future.

As a country, we are at a point in our journey where I think everyone agrees that it is very important to have a Governor General who can talk seriously about reconciliation. That is what she is doing, while learning French.

EthicsOral Questions

2:45 p.m.

Conservative

Lianne Rood Conservative Lambton—Kent—Middlesex, ON

Mr. Speaker, I know the Prime Minister may not have the answer to this question right now and it may take him a few minutes to find out the answer, so I am going to ask the question now and then we are going to ask it again later, giving him time to consult with his staff to find out.

My question is this. Did the Prime Minister claim the $215,000 illegal vacation as a taxable benefit on his income tax return?

EthicsOral Questions

2:45 p.m.

Papineau Québec

Liberal

Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister

Mr. Speaker, what we see are Conservative politicians who want to keep manufacturing distractions on matters that were dealt with years ago, instead of talking about the economy, the environment or things that Canadians care about. They do not want to talk about our plan to support young families buying into the housing market. They do not want to talk about our plan to create more jobs and grow a green economy. They do not want to talk about more gun control. They do not want to talk about standing up for women's rights. They want to fling mud and distract from their own failings, whether it is their leadership, their convoy or any other issue they are avoiding.

EthicsOral Questions

2:45 p.m.

Conservative

Gérard Deltell Conservative Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC

Mr. Speaker, this is not a distraction; these are facts.

The RCMP documents show that the Prime Minister committed fraud. He received a $215,000 gift from someone who lobbies the Canadian government.

Yesterday, the Prime Minister admitted he never got that permission, but the RCMP never questioned him about it.

I have one simple question for the Prime Minister, who, sadly, has adopted this singular attitude for the past six years: Why does he always think he is above the law?

EthicsOral Questions

2:45 p.m.

Papineau Québec

Liberal

Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister

Mr. Speaker, Canadians are watching the Conservative Party engage in an act of political theatre on a matter that was dealt with years ago.

Conservatives will stop at nothing to distract from their support of the illegal blockades that cost our economy dearly, put people out of work and made people feel unsafe in their own communities.

Let us talk about the real things that matter to Canadians, from the cost of living to Putin's illegal war in Ukraine. While the Conservatives continue to focus on me, the government will stay focused on the real issues that matter to Canadians.

EthicsOral Questions

2:45 p.m.

Conservative

Gérard Deltell Conservative Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC

Mr. Speaker, I would like to remind the Prime Minister of something. Does he remember Jody Wilson-Raybould? Perhaps he remembers this honourable woman who did uphold the law. The Prime Minister kicked her out of her role as Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada. Why? It was because she upheld the law and, more importantly, refused to play partisan politics with it. That is what the Prime Minister did with Ms. Wilson-Raybould, and that is what he is still doing with this free trip worth $215,000.

Why does the Prime Minister once again think he is above the law?

EthicsOral Questions

2:50 p.m.

Papineau Québec

Liberal

Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister

Mr. Speaker, once again, we see that the Conservatives are desperate to talk about anything but the issues that are important to Canadians' everyday lives.

They are not talking about investments in child care, how to close the gap between indigenous and non-indigenous communities, investments in green infrastructure or how to ensure that the wealthy pay their fair share. They simply want to make personal attacks rather than focus on the issues that actually matter to Canadians.

EthicsOral Questions

2:50 p.m.

Conservative

James Bezan Conservative Selkirk—Interlake—Eastman, MB

Mr. Speaker, I know the Prime Minister cannot keep his litany of scandals straight and that he is always confused between his multiple charges under the Conflict of Interest Act. What we are talking about here is the Criminal Code and a Prime Minister who thinks he is above the law.

The RCMP needs to reopen the investigation into the Prime Minister accepting a gift from a lobbyist worth over $215,000. The Prime Minister cannot act with impunity. He should be held to a higher standard.

Will the Prime Minister commit today to co-operating with the RCMP regarding his fraud against the government?

EthicsOral Questions

2:50 p.m.

Papineau Québec

Liberal

Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister

Mr. Speaker, again, these issues were dealt with years ago. The Conservative Party is desperate to try to find personal attacks to muddy the waters so that people do not talk about the real issues facing Canadians, whether it is the housing crisis, the opioid epidemic, the erosion of individuals' rights or support for the green transition. These are things that matter deeply to Canadians, and unfortunately the Conservatives would rather focus on me than focus on what deeply matters to Canadians in their daily lives.

EthicsOral Questions

2:50 p.m.

Some hon. members

Oh, oh!

EthicsOral Questions

2:50 p.m.

Conservative

The Deputy Speaker Conservative Chris d'Entremont

If people want to ask questions, they can get on the list to ask questions so that we can all speak in the House of Commons.

The hon. member for Burnaby South.

Foreign AffairsOral Questions

2:50 p.m.

NDP

Jagmeet Singh NDP Burnaby South, BC

Mr. Speaker, due to the slow rollout of sanctions against Russian oligarchs closely affiliated with Putin, yesterday we learned that Igor Makarov, one of those oligarchs, was able to move $120 million of assets out of Canada. Again, this was due to the slow rollout of sanctions. The New Democrats have long been calling for an expansion of sanctions and to apply them directly to oligarchs closely affiliated with Putin who are fuelling the war in Ukraine.

Why is the government dragging its feet?

Foreign AffairsOral Questions

2:50 p.m.

Papineau Québec

Liberal

Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister

Mr. Speaker, since even before the beginning of this illegal war in Ukraine, Canada has been leading the charge in support for Ukraine and, indeed, pushing back against Russia. However, it was also extremely important that we worked in a coordinated fashion with our allies and partners across NATO and around the world. That is exactly what we did, with the strongest package of sanctions ever applied against a modern major economy. We have continued to do that, including with 203 new sanctions brought in today, which means in total, over 1,000 people supporting Putin have been sanctioned since just February. We will continue to do every bit more we need to.

Public SafetyOral Questions

2:50 p.m.

NDP

Jagmeet Singh NDP Burnaby South, BC

Mr. Speaker, this evening is Yom HaShoah, a time to remember the Holocaust. It is when it commences. This weekend at the National War Memorial, a memorial that is committed to remembering Canadian soldiers who gave their lives to fight the Holocaust, there is going to be a protest where the chief guest speaker is a notorious anti-Semite and a Holocaust denier and someone who is promoting the horrific war in Ukraine that Putin is engaged in.

Canadians deserve to be protected from hate groups, so what is the government going to do to prevent this obscenity from happening?

Public SafetyOral Questions

2:50 p.m.

Papineau Québec

Liberal

Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister

Mr. Speaker, tonight is indeed the beginning of Yom HaShoah. Anti-Semitism and hatred in any form have no place in Canada. We have held a national summit on anti-Semitism to hear directly from community leaders on their concerns, and budget 2022 provides funding to support the special envoy, the construction of a new Holocaust museum and the Sarah and Chaim Neuberger Holocaust Education Centre, and proposes to prohibit the promotion of anti-Semitism through the denial and downplaying of the Holocaust.

We will always be steadfast in our support for Canada's Jewish community, and I look forward to seeing many parliamentarians tomorrow at the memorial for the Holocaust.

Indigenous AffairsOral Questions

April 27th, 2022 / 2:55 p.m.

Liberal

Michael McLeod Liberal Northwest Territories, NT

Mr. Speaker, Inuit communities in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region and across the north all agree that self-determination is an essential step toward reconciliation. This is the best way to promote prosperity and support communities' and individuals' well-being throughout Inuit Nunangat, with the goal of socio-economic and cultural equity between Inuit and other Canadians.

Can the Prime Minister inform the House about the latest developments in ensuring the government properly supports Inuit self-determination?

Indigenous AffairsOral Questions

2:55 p.m.

Papineau Québec

Liberal

Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister

Mr. Speaker, I want to begin by thanking the member for the Northwest Territories for his outstanding work.

Along with our Inuit partners in what is the culmination of years of collaboration, we have recently announced the endorsement of the Inuit Nunangat policy. This will help ensure that Inuit priorities and self-determination are part of the government's programs, policies and initiatives going forward across the breadth of everything a government does.

We will continue to work with Inuit leadership through the Inuit-Crown partnership committee to build a renewed Inuit-Crown relationship and advance reconciliation based on affirmation of rights, respect and partnership.

EthicsOral Questions

2:55 p.m.

Conservative

Jacques Gourde Conservative Lévis—Lotbinière, QC

Mr. Speaker, in the saga of the Prime Minister's illegal vacations, involving a trip that even Canadians cannot afford, there are some grey areas with respect to the Prime Minister's authority to hold himself above the law.

Did the Prime Minister hamstring the RCMP in order to shield himself from the facts and a fresh scandal?

EthicsOral Questions

2:55 p.m.

Papineau Québec

Liberal

Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister

Mr. Speaker, it is obvious that the party opposite is short on material, because it is raising the same issues that were brought up by the Conservative leader three Conservative leaders ago.

Conservative politicians want to keep manufacturing distractions instead of talking about things that are important to Canadians, such as the economy and the environment.

What is clear is that they do not want to talk about the need to ensure that our economic recovery leaves no one behind, they do not want to talk about the climate crisis or even acknowledge that it exists, and above all, they do not want to talk about the fact that we have made communities safer by banning assault weapons.

We will continue to work for Canadians.

EthicsOral Questions

2:55 p.m.

Conservative

Michael Cooper Conservative St. Albert—Edmonton, AB

Mr. Speaker, page 56 of the RCMP's criminal brief into the Prime Minister said that the Prime Minister's actions were “more damaging to the Government of Canada’s appearance of integrity than would similar actions carried out by a lower-ranking government official”.

Canadians expect the highest standard of integrity from the Prime Minister. Why does the Prime Minister believe that he is above that standard?

EthicsOral Questions

2:55 p.m.

Papineau Québec

Liberal

Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister

Mr. Speaker, we see how short of ideas or relevance the Conservative Party of Canada is right now when it does not have anything to say about the housing crisis that we just put forward strong measures to address in our budget of two weeks ago. We moved forward on initiatives to invest in the green transition and the green economy in ways that will make a huge difference in the lives of Canadians from coast to coast to coast, and the Conservatives have nothing to say about that. They have nothing to say on the issues facing Canadians. Instead, they just want to fling mud. They just want to make personal attacks on me. I am going to stay focused on Canadians.

EthicsOral Questions

2:55 p.m.

Conservative

Michael Cooper Conservative St. Albert—Edmonton, AB

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the Prime Minister incriminated himself by admitting to the only element that the RCMP could not establish to charge the Prime Minister with fraud.

Will the Prime Minister share that information with the RCMP? If not, is it because he is afraid he will be charged?

EthicsOral Questions

2:55 p.m.

Papineau Québec

Liberal

Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister

Mr. Speaker, Canadians of all backgrounds and walks of life are watching question period, and what they see right now is a Conservative Party desperate to distract—